The Duke of Monchester finds all Americans vulgar, particularly the unmarried young debutantes eager to land themselves a titled lord. He is infuriated when a recently landed railroad heiress summons him to her rented townhouse with a proposition: tutor her to become a true lady and present her to Queen Victoria and she will make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Monchester knows he would be supremely foolish to refuse Miss Summer Wine Lee's lucrative arrangement - his father has left him dangerously impoverished and it's only a matter of time before Monchester loses everything. His scathing wit and icy demeanor, as well as his close relationship with the Prince of Wales, are his last advantages in retaining his status within the peerage.

Once he begins coaching his student however, the icy Duke soon discovers that neither his harsh pronouncements on all things American nor his chilly personality have any effect on Miss Lee. Indeed, he finds himself as enchanted by her odd and innocent ways as the rest of the British aristocracy. That fascination soon turns to love and suddenly the impoverished Duke's goal has changed. He is no longer content to keep Summer at arm's length as his student - he is determined to convince her to become his wife.

Despite Kennedy using a well-used theme in My Unfair Lady, she makes it her own by creating numerous fresh and amusing situations, as country bumpkin turned filthy rich heiress Summer innocently charms the haughty elite with her views on life, her wild west antics, and her array of rescued critters. Summer's determination to stay true to American fiancÚ Monte despite having given her heart and body to Byron seemed rather protracted, and last minute revelations about her lineage a little fortuitous and unnecessary.

However, neither detracted from the story enough to ruin Summer and Byron's engaging and often-amusing romance - or the moral - of one of the most enchanting historical romances I've read this year.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.